Edgar Degas

Visual Arts French 1834 – 1917 99 quotes

Though often considered an Impressionist, he preferred to be called a Realist, known for his depictions of dancers, bathers, and racehorses.

Quotes by Edgar Degas

Success! What an abominable thing success is.

Conversation 1900

The artist is not a special sort of person, but every person is a special sort of artist.

Letter 1885

I am fond of nature, but only when it is tamed.

Interview 1870

Monet is only an eye, but what an eye!

Conversation 1880

We must go beyond the problem of the moment to the problem of the age.

Speech 1890

The secret is to follow the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something quite different from them.

Notebook 1875

I hate the way the Impressionists have painted everything.

Letter 1885

Beauty is the observation of the beautiful.

Reflection 1865

In art, as in life, everything is a question of balance.

Interview 1895

I seek the essential.

Notebook 1880

The studio is a place of study, not of play.

Letter 1870

Women are the most beautiful things in the world.

Conversation 1860

Persistence is the key to success in art.

Advice 1900

I paint from memory, not from life.

Interview 1890

The future? Like unwritten music, it is only a vague echo.

Letter 1910

Line is the weapon with which the artist conquers.

Notebook 1880

I am a realist; I see things as they are.

Conversation 1875

Art is the greatest deception.

Reflection 1895

To be an artist is to believe what is not true.

Letter 1885

The ballet is a universe of precision and dreams.

Observation 1870